Forum Thread of the Day: “Higher-loft driver for added distance?”

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from just plain bill, who discusses the advantages of playing a higher loft driver. While experimenting with driver lofts, just plain bill has found that the added loft off the tee has increased his distance, and our members share their experience using greater loft drivers, as well as their reasons behind why just plain bill has seen an increase in length.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire thread and have your say at the link below.

Z1ggy16: “Golf is not a one size fits all and blanket advice like this isn’t really good to give to uneducated golfers or at least people who haven’t spent a decent amount of time on trackman being fit. I would suspect OP and his pals have fairly neutral to maybe even negative AoAs, possibly lower-ish swing speeds, such that 12º drivers are actually increasing their distance. If I ramped up to 12º my drives would probably be 150+ft in the air, and I’d likely lose 40-50 yards total distance because I have a very high launch angle and AoA. I need very low static loft and lower-ish spin. Lucky for me I actually know this about my swing.”

grant2145: “A higher lofted driver can help achieve an optimal launch angle. For drivers, the dynamic loft (the loft of the club at impact) of the club accounts for about 85% of the launch angle. The angle of attack accounts for the remaining 15%. The ideal vertical launch angle for most amateurs will be in the 13-15 degree range. Example: A driver with a dynamic loft of 15 degrees at impact with a +3.0 degree attack angle will result in a launch angle of 13.2 degrees. (15*.85) + (3*.15)”

just plain bill: “Played with two guys yesterday. They hadn’t played in a month, but definitely had game. One guy kept struggling with his 9°. Finally I had him swing the 10.5. Bingo! I really like the draw bias of the k15. Think I’m gonna get it in 12.”

My experience is that the more lofted driver delivers more accuracy/fairways hit, with some loss of distance. I broke my 10.5* driver a few years ago, and found my 15* 3 wood putting me on the short grass, alot…so I compromised ….12* driver works fine.

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Wilson Staff has been making waves recently with a lot of high profile activity including the signing of Gary Woodland and the new Staff blade iron prototypes he has in the bag. It appears that the R&D team at Wilson has just gotten started for 2019, considering another new prototype driving iron has popped up thanks to Brendan Steele posting some very nice pictures on his Twitter and Instagram.

We don’t have a ton of information except for the caption from Brendan’s own post

“Check out this sweet new toy! @wilsongolf was awesome enough to let me create a new prototype driving iron and it couldn’t have turned out better!”

It has some similarities to the previous V4 Driving Iron from Wilson by the looks of both the screw and the knurling around the hosel

but the cosmetics and certainly more inline with the new Staff Blades pictured below along with also appearing to have a shorter heel to toe length and a higher overall toe profile:

Whether or not this new driving iron will show up at retail like the Staff blades, it is definitely something to keep an eye out for.

WRX Spotlight: Nikon Coolshot Pro Stabilized laser rangefinder

Pitch: From Nikon: “This state-of-the art golfing laser rangefinder packs the stability of the Coolshot 80’s vibration reduction into an even more streamlined body. The red Oled internal display’s automatic brightness adjustment makes viewing easy in any light, while Hyper Read measurement response time is a speedy 0.3 seconds (approximately) over a range of 7.5-1,090 m. Locked On technology quickly defines overlapping subjects so you’ll be sure of an accurate reading to the flagstick, plus ID Technology gives a guide distance for uphill and downhill courses.”

Our take on the Nikon Coolshot Pro Stabilized laser rangefinder

Nikon has packed the Coolshot Pro Stabilized full of innovative features with a hugely beneficial streamlined profile. But we’ll get around to that a little later, as at the core of this laser rangefinder is its Stabilized Technology.

Whether it’s the conditions, or an inability to keep your hand perfectly steady when shooting your target, the issue of vibration is usually the main problem when it comes to rangefinders. However, with Nikon’s Stabilized Technology, that vibration is reduced by approximately 80 percent. The steadiness of the rangefinder may need to be seen to be believed, but with the Coolshot Pro Stabilized, any issues golfers have with taking a steady shot of their target can expect them to vanish with this rangefinder. More accurate results and likely speedier rounds (yay), what’s not to love?

This lessening of the vibration works in conjunction with Locked On technology, and it’s a powerful combination that creates a premium rangefinder. The Locked On technology in the Coolshot Pro Stabilized allows golfers to home in on their target, without the fear of the rangefinder locking onto the wrong target in the background. A small green circle frames your desired target, making sure that it is giving you the correct distance for your shot, and it’s not only extremely accurate but quick too. The Hyper Read Tech allows users to find the distance they want according to the company in “0.3 seconds – regardless of distance.” A claim that is difficult to dispute.

Another great feature of the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is its ID Technology. This technology takes care of all the incline, slope etc. The rangefinder from Nikon accurately reads the yardage taking into account the downhill or uphill nature of the pin, while the product also lets other competitors know when the ID Technology is off. If you’re competing in an event, a green flashing light indicates that the ID Technology is turned off, making it clear that actual distance is what you’re measuring, and that you’re abiding by all the rules.

Now let’s get down to the size, which makes all of the features we’ve talked about even more impressive. As you can see from our in-hand photos, the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is tiny and weighs just 180g. The advantages of having a small rangefinder are obvious as it can be carried or kept in even the smallest pocket of your bag easily, and the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is also both waterproof and nitrogen-purged to make it fog-proof. The range finder also features six different brightness levels and comes with a sweet 5-year warranty.

At around $450 the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is high-end and not cheap. But with the impressive features and high performance, it’s a product which combined with Nikon’s 5-year warranty justifies that price-tag. If you’re looking for a top-shelf rangefinder, then the Coolshot Pro Stabilized is very unlikely to disappoint.

TXG: Ping G410 Plus driver review

Our initial review of the Ping G410 Plus driver! In this video we use a stock shaft and a 10.5-degree head to see what improvements have been made over last year’s G400. Stay tuned for future videos where we will properly fit and dial in this driver for the correct loft, settings and shaft to unlock its full potential!